Teh One Who Knocks
08-28-2013, 11:06 AM
By Joey Bunch - The Denver Post
http://i.imgur.com/Q56DauA.jpg
A group of strippers at a Grand Junction club are seeking to force its owner to keep his hands off their tips and pay them wages, according to a class-action lawsuit. Their lawyer is encouraging more dancers to join the fight.
The dancers at Fantasy Gentlemen's Club aren't paid anything by club owner Kevin Eardley. Instead, they must pay the club to work there, said lawyer Mari Newman of the Denver firm of Killmer, Lane & Newman, which specializes in civil rights cases.
Dancers also are required to share their tips with the club's bouncers and DJs, as well as pay fines for behavior such as trading shifts with other dancers and for the misconduct of customers, Newman said.
"They're making their living off the backs of these employees," she said. "They're exploiting a vulnerable workforce, because most of these women have had no access to legal services to protect their rights."
The lawsuit names four plaintiffs — Jessica Mason, Michelle Cross, Allison Stebbing and Jamie Tencza — and Newman said a fifth dancer will soon join the suit.
Eardley said the dancers are tenants, not employees; they signed a lease agreement to use the club. He said the arrangement is standard for strip clubs and similar to that in which people rent booth space in hair salons.
"This is four ex-dancers alleging they're employees trying to get some money," he said. "They're lease tenants. They signed lease agreements and they rent space from me."
Eardley said 10 to 15 women dance at the club nightly.
The lawsuit was filed as a class-action case, which represents a large group of people in a category.
"This case highlights the exploitation of one of the most vulnerable groups of employees, young women working as dancers in adult-entertainment establishments," Newman said. "We are receiving calls from numerous employees who have been mistreated and want to join the case."
The case was filed in federal court in Denver.
Newman said the practice of not paying dancers is not unique in the industry, and if the case is successful, it could force many clubs to change their practices.
"What they're doing is clearly illegal," she said. "They don't pay employees wages. They don't pay any benefits. They don't even provide workers' comp, and dancers, as you can imagine, get hurt on the job."
http://i.imgur.com/Q56DauA.jpg
A group of strippers at a Grand Junction club are seeking to force its owner to keep his hands off their tips and pay them wages, according to a class-action lawsuit. Their lawyer is encouraging more dancers to join the fight.
The dancers at Fantasy Gentlemen's Club aren't paid anything by club owner Kevin Eardley. Instead, they must pay the club to work there, said lawyer Mari Newman of the Denver firm of Killmer, Lane & Newman, which specializes in civil rights cases.
Dancers also are required to share their tips with the club's bouncers and DJs, as well as pay fines for behavior such as trading shifts with other dancers and for the misconduct of customers, Newman said.
"They're making their living off the backs of these employees," she said. "They're exploiting a vulnerable workforce, because most of these women have had no access to legal services to protect their rights."
The lawsuit names four plaintiffs — Jessica Mason, Michelle Cross, Allison Stebbing and Jamie Tencza — and Newman said a fifth dancer will soon join the suit.
Eardley said the dancers are tenants, not employees; they signed a lease agreement to use the club. He said the arrangement is standard for strip clubs and similar to that in which people rent booth space in hair salons.
"This is four ex-dancers alleging they're employees trying to get some money," he said. "They're lease tenants. They signed lease agreements and they rent space from me."
Eardley said 10 to 15 women dance at the club nightly.
The lawsuit was filed as a class-action case, which represents a large group of people in a category.
"This case highlights the exploitation of one of the most vulnerable groups of employees, young women working as dancers in adult-entertainment establishments," Newman said. "We are receiving calls from numerous employees who have been mistreated and want to join the case."
The case was filed in federal court in Denver.
Newman said the practice of not paying dancers is not unique in the industry, and if the case is successful, it could force many clubs to change their practices.
"What they're doing is clearly illegal," she said. "They don't pay employees wages. They don't pay any benefits. They don't even provide workers' comp, and dancers, as you can imagine, get hurt on the job."